Multimodal Laser Stimulation and Traditional Needle Acupuncture in Post-Stroke Patients—A Pilot Cross-Over Study with Results from Near Infrared Spectroscopy

Abstract

Background: The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the cerebral effects of laser stimulation and traditional needle acupuncture in patients after stroke. Methods: Seventeen stroke patients (12 female and five male; mean age ± SD: 66.5 ± 12.9 years) were randomly selected in a stroke rehabilitation hospital. Patients’ regional cerebral blood oxygen saturation (rSO2) values were recorded before, during, and after needle acupuncture (scalp, ear and body) as well as before, during, and after corresponding laser stimulation (red laser, four points: 100 mW, 658 nm, 500 µm; yellow laser, one point: 50 mW, 589 nm, 500 µm; infrared laser, three points: 100 mW, 810 nm, 500 µm; green laser, one point: 5 mW, 532 nm, 500 µm) in a cross-over study design. Results: There were no significant changes after needle acupuncture in the phases immediately after needle insertion or during acupuncture stimulation. However, after manual needle acupuncture and after laser stimulation, the majority of the rSO2 values showed increases. The highest value (+3%) was reached after laser stimulation treatment. Heart rate and blood pressure before and after the treatments did not show significant alterations. Conclusions: Changes in local cerebral oxygen saturation could be quantified, although confirmation may only be expected after extensive follow-up studies.

Laser Watch—New Generation 2021: Modern Integrative Photomedicine Equipment for Photobiomodulation

“…Even if the author of this work is convinced that direct laser light stimulation can change blood oxygenation [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22], it should be noted that there are still many unanswered questions on the subject. PBM can be used to treat and/or alleviate certain disease conditions [23][24][25][26], but technical parameters like power density, the duration of the exposure, the frequency of the light, and many others are largely undetermined.…”

“…The technical details have not (yet) been disclosed by Weber Medical; however, information about the intensity (35 mW) per laser has been personally communicated to this author. With this prototype, irradiation with the following wavelengths is possible: red (658nm), with a penetration depth of about 2-4 cm; infrared (808 nm), with a penetration depth of about 3-4 cm; yellow (590 nm), with a penetration depth of about 3 cm; green (505 nm), with a penetration depth of about 0.5-1 cm; and blue (450 nm), with a penetration depth of about 0.5-2 mm [14].…”

Skalp-Akupunktur Und Herzratenvariabilität Bei Patienten Nach Schlaganfall Mit Schlafstörungen

“…Ziel dieser Pilotstudie des Autors war es, die zerebralen Wirkungen von Laserstimulation und traditioneller Nadelakupunktur bei Patientinnen und Patienten nach Schlaganfall zu untersuchen ( Abb. 5 ) [ 26 ]. 17 Personen nach Schlaganfall (12 weiblich und 5 männlich; mittleres Alter ± Standardabweichung: 66,5 ± 12,9 Jahre) wurden in einer Schlaganfallrehabilitationsklinik zufällig ausgewahlt.…”

Guidance for Acupuncture Robot with Potentially Utilizing Medical Robotic Technologies

“…Acupuncture therapy includes magnetic needles, electronic beam, etc. The acupuncture robot may be featured with more kinds of stimulation, such as acupressure, electrical, and laser therapy [ 93 , 94 ]. Further experiments should focus on exploring uniform criteria for selecting parameters for those advanced medical technologies [ 95 ].…”